Jaguars hand defensive coordinator Tucker a new contract

A few days ago, it looked possible that the Jaguars could lose one or both of their coordinators.

Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter interviewed for the Broncos head coaching job, while defensive coordinator Mel Tucker was reportedly a possibility in Dallas or San Diego.

Tucker never wound up interviewing elsewhere, and the Jaguars signed him to a new contract Thursday, according to Jason La Canfora of NFL Network. Koetter should also be back in the mix after John Fox got the Broncos job.

Jack Del Rio is expected to step back from calling the defense in 2011 to focus on “macro” issues, which increases Tucker’s responsibilities. The Jaguars have some promising pieces up front, but the back seven remains full of question marks.

I wonder if they did this so they can fire Del Rio if the team fails to make the playoffs next year. If this guy is a head coach candidate elsewhere, we might be looking at a Jason Garret situation (though I doubt Del Rio would get fired mid season unless they became mathematically eliminated early).